This last summer I was searching for a new metal rock band with an aggressive female lead singer similar to Hayley Williams from Paramore or Amy Lee from Evanescence. A friend of mine introduced me to Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf and had me watch the video “I’m So Sick.”
I liked it and purchased the song right away. I didn’t go much further than that. Then I heard Flyleaf was coming to Seattle this month at Showbox Market and had to check them out. Before the show, I did a search to see where Flyleaf is from. I was caught off guard when I saw that they are labeled a Christian Metal Rock band from Belton and Temple, Texas. Honestly, I was shocked that they are labeled Christian Rock. They seem so dark, aggressive and angry. They didn’t seem Christian to me. So I went to the show to hear their message.
Lead singer Lacey Mosley, a petite young woman belted out with her aggressive screams and chords, which I like. Guitarists Sameer Bhattcharya, Jared Harmann, Pat Seals had some pretty amazing riffs and melodies led with heavy drums from James Culpepper. Their music was great. I rocked out with the rest of them. I can see why their debut album went platinum.
As for their message, I wasn’t familiar with their lyrics and honestly I couldn’t understand most of what Mosley was saying, so I looked them up and purchased their CD Momento Mori. Sure enough, the majority of their songs are religious. The lyrics express faith, salvation, sin, sacrifice, the last judgment, heaven and hell. They also mention God and Christ quite often. Although, not every song delivers a Christian message. The lyrics also express loneliness, addiction, recovery, love and fear, which are emotions and life challenges many of us can relate to regardless of our faith.
Overall, I think they are very talented artists. I enjoy their aggressive melodies and I can respect their religious message although I am agnostic. I really enjoy their songs “I’m So Sick“, “Again”, and “Chasm”. I will continue to listen to them even if they are labeled Christian Metal Rock.
Flyleaf in Seattle, WA